WHIPS - Volvo's whiplash protection study

Whiplash associated disorders (WAD) resulting from rear end car impacts are an increasing problem. WAD are usually not life threatening, but are one o f the most important injury categories with regard to long-term consequence s. This paper is a review of Volvo's Whiplash Protection Study (WHIPS), whi ch is the result of more than ten years of concentrated research efforts in the area of neck injuries in car collisions, with the focus on rear end ca r impacts. The study follows the whole chain from accident research to the development of a seat for increased protection against WAD. Results from Vo lvo's accident research are summarized. Existing biomechanical knowledge re garding possible injury mechanisms are presented and discussed. Based on th e interpretation of accident research and biomechanical knowledge, guidelin es for improved protection against WAD in rear end impacts are presented. R equirements and test methods based on the guidelines are explained. An impo rtant part of the study is a new rear end impact dummy, BioRID. Test result s using the new dummy are presented. Finally, the paper explains the design of a new seat for increased WAD protection, the WHIPS-seat. Results from t he accident research and biomechanical research emphasize the importance of considering the whole spine of the occupant and, accordingly, the whole se at when addressing WAD in rear end impacts, with a particular focus on low and moderate impact severity. Low and moderate impact severity crashes shou ld be focused. Also important to consider are the individual differences be tween occupants, the seating position and the variety of seating postures. All results, including sub-system testing, mathematical modeling, sled test ing, as well as geometrical parameters show that the WHIPS-seat will have c onsiderable potential for offering increased protection against WAD in rear end impacts. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.